None of Nigel Farage’s old tricks are working anymore. None of his tried-and-tested techniques are functioning. And in the back of his mind, there’s a single terrifying thought: he’s becoming less relevant.
Over the last few months, Farage has been bumped off course. He’s been getting pulverised by stories about his finances. There was the £5m from a Thai-based crypto billionaire and countless little gifts from “Posh” George Cottrell – the baby-faced aristocrat who calls Farage “daddy”.
Such little gifts can have an outsized effectiveness for the giver, as Cottrell explained in his book How to Launder Money: “Long-term relationships keep the bought person in hand while you’re making money and the cohort is making money… Money from corruption is a bit like fiscal heroin; one fix and you know you need more.”
Yes, he really wrote it all down, then published it, in an act of self-indulgence which is challenged for scale only by the extent of his stupidity. It’s like the bit at the end of the superhero film where the villain reveals their devious plan, except that even Two-Face is smart enough to know that you only do this after you’ve initiated the scheme, not while you’re doing so.
Meanwhile, things were looking up for Britain. Labour changed its leader, with a fresh-faced new prime minister on his way into No 10. Hell, even the England football team was doing well. The sun was out. People were acting like everything might be OK. And that is obviously the death knell for Farage and his party. They trade on grievance, hatred, insecurity and despair. Optimism and opportunity are their kryptonite.
